Sustainable development universities: key initiatives and impact on student awareness and engagement

Purpose: This paper aimed to examine what the most important initiatives and sustainable development goals are visible in the activities of sustainable development universities (SDUs), where sustainable development issues are considered a priority in the opinion of students from in total 10 countries around the world, and how this affects the awareness and involvement of students, the main stakeholders of SDUs. Design/methodology/approach: The study was conducted among students at universities using the CAWI questionnaire in 2022. In the further part of the work, a statistical study was carried out using the non-parametric Pearson's Chi-square test for 2 × 2 tables and the PQStat 1.8 program from PQStat Software. Findings: The study showed that students positively perceive initiatives and sustainable development goals at universities and actively participate in them, especially at public universities. Moreover, research has shown that the university's efforts towards sustainable development increase students' awareness and involvement in sustainable development, contributing to creating a more sustainable future and "Society 5.0". Research limitations/implications: The study focused on the association between university initiatives and students' awareness and involvement, but it cannot establish a causal relationship. There might be other factors influencing students' engagement that were not explored in this research. Furthermore, the study primarily focuses on students, thereby excluding the perspectives and involvement levels of other stakeholders such as faculty, staff, and local communities. Understanding the views of these groups is critical for a more comprehensive assessment of SDUs' impact on sustainable development. Practical implications: The article can guide universities on what sustainable development activities students need and how universities can achieve sustainable development goals. Originality/value: The article fills the gap in the analysis of how the activities undertaken by sustainable development universities in the field of sustainable development affect the awareness and involvement of students. Keywords: managing sustainable development, sustainable development universities, CAWI survey, awareness. Category of the paper: research paper.